Interesting chat about Thief 1 and 2

[ezze]

In the gog dot com forum someone asked if they like more Thief 1 or Thief 2. It spawned a fairly nice and constructive analysis of the two games by many people.

 

I found an interesting thread, I am impressed how different can be the reaction to some design choices...

 

 

If you design maps you might also find it interesting... besides, do you like more Thief 1 or Thief 2?

[Airship Ballet]

I prefer Thief 2 ever so slightly, namely because of its largely grounded level design. The supernatural levels in T1 haven't really aged very well while those in 2 are still great and interesting to play. In addition, the regular levels in T2 are far more intricate and interesting in terms of more advanced assets and ambitious objectives. I love 'em both pretty much the same, but would put The Metal Age just a point above The Dark Project.

[RJFerret]

If you design maps you might also find it interesting...

 

Thanks for the share, however I'm afraid I didn't find that to be the case, since (not surprisingly) their reactions assume prior knowledge of those games, rather than explaining what wasn't appreciated (so lost on someone like me, unfamiliar with either). Although a dislike for non-human opponents has been expressed here before as well.

[Maijstral]

I slightly prefer Thief 1 for the enemy types, the plotline, and that the Thief world seems more expansive. I like more of the magical and supernatural in Thief. Thief 2 is a great follow-up though. I don't know if the lore supports it, but I've always considered Karras's creations to have involved some magic rather than being purely mechanical. Thief 2 Gold sounds like it probably would have been even more to my liking with the planned necromancer mission.

[Airship Ballet]

dislike for non-human opponents has been expressed here before as well.

 

They were great at the time, but now they fall very short as useless, lumbering, polygonal zombies or easily flashbombed maniacs of a similarly polygonal nature. It's unfortunate really because I first played it on Halloween when it first came out and I was scared witless =P

[ezze]

In Thief the non-human enemies behave almost the same as humans, I don't get the why people dislike them...

[Melan]

I have always liked the aesthetics, story and level design of the first game better (which should not come as a surprise considering my missions). I have several problems with The Metal Age - it looks too clean and regular; its story is a mishmash with leaps of logic straining the suspension of disbelief; and the levels lack the kind of variety you had in the original. The changes are so huge that I think it would have worked better if it was set about 50-150 years after The Dark Project, and even featured a different protagonist. Still a great game, just not TDP.

[woah]

I've always preferred Thief 2 in gameplay, atmosphere, and story, but maybe that's because I started with Thief 2 (a friend at the time advised me to skip Thief 1 based on my personality). After playing it, Thief 1 felt a lot more action oriented--felt like there was a lot less sneaking and too many monsters/ghosts/magic. In general, I think supernatural phenomena are best used sparingly. And I'm not saying that Thief 1 didn't have many good moments, but while playing many parts of it I found myself repeatedly thinking "OK, when do we get past these annoying monsters/undead and get back to stealing from the nobility's excessively architectured mansions?"

 

In addition, I liked the level design in Thief 2 much more. The layouts feel more convincing (e.g. rarely did I find architecture or mapper's mistakes/laziness that "broke the illusion"), fine-tuned (e.g. attention to detail with the lighting and contextual music), and enticing, as they seem to really captivate my curiosity.

[brethren]

I loved the environments in TDP, T2 just didn't compare in this respect. It was great doing missions in The City proper, but also then getting out to Cragscleft, The Bonehoard, the Barricaded Area, The Lost City, The Mage Towers and the Maw. It made the game interesting when Garrett occasionally got out of the civilized areas of the world into areas where he couldn't count on the rules being the same. The isolation, the non-standard AI, and the unpredictable settings gave the player an added feel of danger and insecurity.

 

I know the new Thief will probably be at little closer to T2, but I hope we at least get out of The City once or twice during New Garrett's adventures.

[Deadlove]

Lots of hate on the zombies, burricks and spiders...the annoying part of those enemies is the best part, they suck! I love having to deal with enemies that I hate, it makes things so much more frustrating and great! Challenge; when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I'm an animal lover too so I kinda feel a bit when I put down a burrick and it makes that whimpering sound like a dog or whatnot. Sometimes I leave them alive and let them run around (i.e. Haunted Cathedral).

 

The sound design on both games is off the charts, but TDP has a bit more of that extra creepy that I can't get enough of. It builds the atmosphere so much. I LOVE that I can turn off the music (ambient?) and the game is still drenched with atmosphere. Personally, I can't stand music in games because in real life there is no soundtrack to looting a boneyard, cathedral, jail, etc. It's very tense and realistic and helps keep the player on the edge of their seat. Kudos to Looking Glass.

 

The weirdness was a little more over the top on TDP. I really liked The Sword and how Constantine was a fan of building upside down and sideways rooms. Why not? It was refreshing given that it's not possible in the real world, but seeing it in a game made for good enjoyment.

 

I can't choose between the two, both have ups and downs. Both are critical in their own right.

[ezze]

I tried plaing Thief1 and the enemies behave differently then I remembered... In level 2 I remember you could make the zombies follow you and drown them in a small lake... I the last game they just wait for me on the water's edge... Interesting...

[New Horizon]

Are you playing with the NewDark upgrade? There is no T1 version of newdark, it's simply the T2 build of the .exe that is capable of playing T1 and T1G missions.

[jtr7]

..............

Edited February 19, 2014 by jtr7

[Professor Paul1290]

I'd have to say Thief 2. I've re-played Thief 2 plenty of times over the years, but I've rarely re-visited Thief 1.

 

I'll admit that I think that Thief 1 does have the advantage in story, voice acting, and atmosphere. However, personally that doesn't do enough to make me prefer it over Thief 2 because I'm not quite that big into the plot and atmosphere side of Thief, as odd as that might sound for a Thief fan.

 

I feel that Thief 2 plays better and is more mechanically interesting for the most part, and that makes me lean towards it over Thief 1. It doesn't have some of the exotic elements of Thief 1, but what is there feels more refined and expanded upon.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Professor Paul1290